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IMPD hopes new "peacemakers" will bridge the gap between community and police

INDIANAPOLIS -- As part of the fight to bring peace to the streets of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department introduced two "peacemakers" who will be the newest liaisons between the police department and the community.

Rob Fry and James Wilson will serve under the city's Director of Community Violence Reduction, Shonna Majors.

Their jobs will include interacting with the community, organizing peace walks and sharing the available resources with those who need it most.

Both men grew up in some of the most challenging neighborhoods in Indianapolis and they hope to use their childhood experiences to relate to the community and prevent kids from having the same issues.

"The crime rate solely relies on the community," said Wilson. "The things happen internally and a lot of times we don't want to talk about that. We like to sweep it under the rug and it needs to be said. We are killing ourselves it's not always the cops coming up and killing us so that has to change."

Their goal is to better connect and relate to people living in some of Indianapolis' most dangerous areas so they feel comfortable enough to come forward and help tackle some of the crime that goes on behind the scenes.

"I think the biggest challenge is going to be maintaining the trust of everybody in the community," said Wilson. "Because the first thing someone's going to ask me is are you the police? And we are not the police."